Support with defining and embedding behaviour frameworks
We’ve all experienced those people who are great at what they do but working with them is just horrible. They are difficult, or negative, or rude or, or, or…..
Managers are often very happy to have the difficult conversations with people when they make mistakes. Equally, they tend to be confident where there is an easily measurable area of work which requires improvement. However, when the difficult conversation is about behaviour, it can be really uncomfortable for everyone.
Another scenario that can arise as your team grows, is that you find the culture that had developed starts to dilute, and you lose some of the things you really valued. Up until this point people just seemed to ‘get’ what was expected in terms of behaviour but now you’re seeing some traits creep in that you’re really not happy with.
A behaviour framework can be invaluable in both of these situations.
A behaviour framework is the document that makes it much much easier to have those difficult conversations with people where you need to tell them “You’re brilliant at what you do BUT no one wants to work with you!”
A behaviour framework sets what behaviours you value in your employees and what you’ll see when people demonstrate those behaviours.
For more details, see our Behaviour Frameworks FAQ
Key Service Features
for Behaviour Frameworks
Clearly defines the behaviour expectations from your employees
Protects and develops the culture you want in your business
Effective tool for recruitment and assessment of employees
How We Can Help You
There are different ways that we can help you, including:
- We can help you understand more about behaviour frameworks and how a framework could help your business.
- We can talk you through different approaches to behaviour frameworks.
- We can create a behaviour framework that is tailored to your business.
- We can help align your recruitment process to your framework. This enables you to ensure that you’re assessing candidates against your behaviour requirements during the selection process.
- We can train you managers and employees on the framework.
And many other variations!
if you are thinking of implementing a behaviour framework for your business, let us help you.
“We have worked with LighterHR to undertake team development activities. The insight has proved invaluable in helping us get more from our team.”
Paul Philips
Managing Director, Project & Building Consultancy
Behaviour Frameworks Frequently Asked Questions
What is a behaviour framework?
We know, ‘framework’ sounds like a corporate buzzword. Granted, while it may be jargon-y, a behaviour framework is an important document.
A typical behaviour framework contains a few statements or descriptions giving examples of the type of behaviours a business expects. Further details are then given for each individual grade within the company to demonstrate desired expectations of employees.
The document underpins the culture you want to protect and develop and can be linked with your performance appraisal system (if you use one).
Beyond helping in the creation and implementation of your behaviour framework, we can also develop and deliver training for your managers and employees on effective use of the framework.
Does my business need to have a behaviour framework?
If you’ve clicked around our website a bit before landing here then you’ll hopefully know that we’re pretty honest about what businesses do and don’t need. We really do recommend that every business, no matter how big or small (well, not if you’ve got less than 10 people) should have a behaviour framework.
The complexity of a behaviour framework can vary (and for smaller businesses we’d suggest a very simple approach), but managing behaviour in the workplace can be extremely challenging and a behaviour framework makes it so much easier.
You can view a behaviour framework as the equivalent of a job description. In the job description you set out to people the tasks that you want them to perform. This then forms the basis of how you decide whether an individual is good or bad at their job. With a behaviour framework you’re setting out how you want people to behave and what you will and won’t accept.
One of the key uses of the behaviour framework is to support managers in having the more challenging conversations where the employee is great at what they do but a total nightmare to manage or work with. By having a behaviour framework you can point to it and say “Here, this is where you aren’t behaving in line with expectation”. It makes it less personal and more factual and can play a key role in achieving behaviour change.
What’s the process for creating a behaviour framework?
The first thing we’ll do is work to understand what you value in your employees. This can be achieved in a number of ways. We can do workshops with your employees and managers to understand from them what they would see as being the key traits they value in their colleagues. Or, there are plenty of times when we just sit with a business owner and hear what’s important to them and the behaviours they want to see in their employees. However we do it, we’ll start by getting some insight into the business and what behaviours are important.
From there, we’ll come up with some key traits. They could be things like “taking responsibility”, “openness and honesty” or “innovative thinking”. When we have the overall list, we’ll give you some suggestions as to what good could look like against each of the traits. You need to define exactly what you mean when you’re talking about “taking responsibility” so that everyone is clear.
After which, we’ll help you decide whether “good” looks different if you’re a team member, manager, senior manager and director. And there’s your framework.
If you’re still struggling to picture exactly what the outcome will be, give us a call and can talk you through some examples both of behaviour frameworks themselves and of situations where they’ve been put to use. Then you can decide whether you think it would be helpful for your business.
What Do I Do Now?
Support for creating a behaviour framework for your employees can be in place as soon as you need it.
To understand the options available to you and to get things going, use the sidebar to book a consultation, complete the contact form or call us on 0203 535 5750, and our team will start helping you straight away.